Illinois e-News Release

James Anderson will serve as a Member of the Illinois State Board of Education.* Dr. James Anderson joins the State Board of Education with over 25 years of experience as a higher education professional. He most recently worked at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC),where he served in a wide array of leadership positions. He is currently the Gutgsell Professor Emeritus. Previously, he served as the Dean for the College of Education and as the Head of the Department of Educational Policy, Organization and Leadership. In the classroom, Dr. Anderson focused broadly on U.S. history specializing in African American history in the United States. He has been recognized for his work by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education with the (AACTE) annual Outstanding Dissertation Award. Dr. Anderson received his Bachelor of Arts from Stillman College and his Master of Education and Doctor of Philosophy in History from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Major Field: History of American Education; Minor Field: African American History.

Richard Schoenstedt will serve as a Member of the Firearm Owner’s Identification Card Review Board.* Judge Richard Schoenstedt brings 40 years of legal experience to the Board: 20 years as an attorney in the private sector and 20 as an elected Circuit County Court Judge. He was elected as a Circuit Judge in 2002 where he presided over felony criminal cases. In 2012, Judge Schoenstedt was named the Chief Judge of the 12th Judicial Circuit before retiring in 2021. While Chief Judge, he was the presiding Judge of the Felony Division. In 2020, he received the Will County Bar Association Person of the Year Award. Judge Schoenstedt received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Marquette University and his Juris Doctor from DePaul University.

Craig Findley will serve as a Member of the Firearm Owner’s Identification Card Review Board.* Findley most recently served as the Chair of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, leading the Board as the Chief Executive and Administrative Officer. Prior to his service on the Board, Findley was President of Findley Associates, Inc, providing consulting, media relations and lobbying services, with an emphasis on child welfare. He also served the State of Illinois with leadership roles in the Illinois Department of Transportation and as State Representative in the Illinois General Assembly. Findley is a proud member of his community, a former Board Member of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and past Trustee of the Lincoln Land Community College. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Knox College.

Frank DePodesta will serve as a Member of the Firearm Owner’s Identification Card Review Board.* DePodesta brings over 25 years of experience as a Supervisory Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). While with the FBI, DePodesta lead teams of field agents, investigated crimes ranging from public corruption to civil rights abuses, and served as an expert witness in federal narcotic trafficking cases. DePodesta was awarded the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) National Award in 2020 and was the recipient of the FBI Medal for Meritorious Achievement in 2017. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan.

Marc Poulos will serve as a Member of the Blue-Ribbon Commission on Transportation Infrastructure Funding and Policy * Poulos serves as the Executive Director of the Midwest Operating Engineers Construction Industry Research and Service Trust Fund. He brings over 16 years of labor experience to the commission. Poulos is the Executive Director of Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting, Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC, Northern Indiana Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC, IUOE, Local 150 Food Bank Trust, Inc. Poulos is a member of the Transportation for Illinois Coalition, and Vice-Chair of the Federal-Affairs Committee. He received his Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Northeastern Illinois University and his Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College with a concentration in labor law.

Duana Love will serve as a Member of the Blue-Ribbon Commission on Transportation Infrastructure Funding and Policy.* Duana Love brings 30 years of transportation experience, serving currently as the Chief Multimodal Transportation Engineer at TranSmart, LLC. Previously, Love served as a Regional Engineer for the United States Department of Transportation-Federal Transit Administration, providing project oversight over 6 State transit agencies. Love has also held roles with the Northeast Illinois Regional Transportation Authority and the Illinois Department of Transportation. Professionally, Love serves the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair and is a member of Women in Transportation and Co-Chairs the Diversity committee. Love received her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Bradley University.